Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

The play takes place every ten years, from May 15th to October 3rd in succession. The next show will be in 2020, and the production includes around 2,000 Oberammergau citizens, and they are the only participants. Actors, technicians, set designers, costume designers, stage managers, lighting directors, sound directors etcetera! Since 1634, the most famous Passion Play in the world takes place in Oberammergau.

The small Bavarian town with more than five thousand inhabitants, belonging to the area of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. An imperceptible, ordinary small town with a classic structure and function method, which however differs from other ordinary towns thanks to the theater play The Passion, which has been, with few exceptions, performed for four centuries without a pause.

The play was created after an outbreak of plague, because the citizens of Oberammergau vowed to God that they would, if he spared them, perform that play forever as a sign of their gratitude. Of course, the prophecy came true. After the mortality rate suddenly soared from 1 deceased to thousand deceased in a year, in October 1632, it has also suddenly decreased to only 20 deceased in March 1633. The citizens were bound by such a large amplitude of mortality rate to perform The Passion as a sign of gratitude and respect.At Pentecost 1634, they fulfilled their pledge for the first time on a stage they put up in the cemetery above the fresh graves of the plague victims.

Because of the various economic, social, cultural or political reasons the play was canceled. In 1770, the Duke of Bavaria banned the performance on behalf of the Catholic Church. However, a decade later, the play was given a new name: the Old and New Testament and was performed again. Due to the damages caused by World War I, the performance in 1920 was postponed to 1922. In 1940, during WWII, the performance was suspended until 1950, when the US occupation authorities allowed the performance of the play, and The Passion has been performed ever since in the theater of Oberammergau.

Few more details on the Passion Play, actors, stage....

All participants, from actors playing the big speaking parts such as Jesus, Mary or Judas, through members of the choir, orchestra members, firemen, and ushers, must have been born in Oberammergau or have been living there for at least 20 years.

Over 2.000 participants brought the story of Jesus of Nazareth to the ears and eyes of the audience in a five-hour presentation on the impressive open-air stage.

The play covers the period of Jesus entering Jerusalem and continues up to his death on the cross and his resurrection.

Next, to the big roles of Jesus, Mary, Peter, Judas, Pontius Pilate, and Caiaphas are 120 smaller and larger roles. Altogether more than 2.000 people from Oberammergau will be part of the Passion Play 2020.

From Ash Wednesday 2019 onwards the participants follow an old tradition and quit cutting their hair or beards.

Blue Heart Travel will have several pilgrimage tours in 2019 & 2020 with the Oberammergau & Passion Play as a highlight of the tour and then destinations like Poland, Austria, Croatia, Lourdes, Medjugorje, Fatima...and much more!

The list of the destinations, Catholic shrines, and sanctuaries we can combine with the Oberammergau is endless. We invite you to feel free and send us your request for pilgrimage for your group including the Passion Play in Oberammergau! Some of the tours you can see listed here above! There are many parishes and prayer groups, agents who would like to add here a theme of St. Anthony in Padua, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Bosco in Turin, St. Faustina in Krakow, St. John Paul II in Wadowice, St. John Vianney of Ars, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray le Monial, St. Bernadette in Nevers., St. James in Santiago de Compostela, St. Therese of Little Flower in Lisieux...and as we said options are endless!

Here are some inspirational photos from Blue Heart Travel from our pilgrimages throughout Europe...

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Oberammergau Passion Play 2020

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